Uzbek Man Kills Himself After Public Humiliation Over Cotton Quota

Uzbek authorities have increased the use of forced labor by adults and older children in the cotton sector in recent years in an effort to shift the burden away from younger children in response to public scrutiny and international pressure. <strong><a href="http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/01/25/uzbekistan-forced-labor-widespread-cotton-harvest" target="_blank">Human Rights Watch</a></strong> found that for the 2012 harvest, the Uzbek government forced over 1 million of its own citizens -- children and adults, including its teachers, doctors, and nurses – to harvest cotton in abusive conditions on threat of punishment.

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Uzbek Man Kills Himself After Public Humiliation Over Cotton Quota

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TASHKENT -- A father of four has committed suicide after being forced to pick cotton then humiliated publicly for underperforming in the western region of Karakalpakistan.

Safarboy Karimov was found hanging from a tree early on October 18, just days after government officials berated him at a public meeting for not meeting a cotton-picking quota.

A witness at the meeting told RFE/RL's Uzbek Service that at least one official told Karimov he would be better off hanging himself than coming to another mandatory nightly meeting without meeting the quota.

Uzbeks who are forced to pick cotton have described to RFE/RL the intense official pressure that drives them to work past midnight to meet daily quotas and then rise at 5:00 a.m. to return to the fields.

Three other Uzbeks from the same region who were being forced to pick cotton fled Uzbekistan this week.

RFE/RL's Radio Ozodlik is one of the only sources of reliable news and information for people in Uzbekistan. The country remains one of the most repressive in the world in terms of media freedom and human rights issues.